CMS urges you to use the latest version of ABN with effect from November 1.
A couple of months back, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) released its proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for year 2012. This 621-page document zooms in on how the agency configures its relative value unit (RVU) assignments.
Imaging pay will see further cuts if the proposed rule becomes final. Right now, when you carry out multiple radiological procedures on the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) list during a single session, Medicare brings down the Technical Component (TC) of the lower paid procedures by half.
The agency is proposing that next year, it'll not only slash the TC of subsequent radiological procedures by 50 percent, but will also bring down the PC by half. Total payment would be made for the PC and TC of the highest paid procedure and payment would be brought down by half for the PC and TC for every additional procedure provided to the same patient in the same session.
Note: Payment cuts to radiology procedures could be even more in 2013 and after.
Reaction to radiology cuts:
Professional societies raised their voices at CMS' radiology cuts. The AMA opposed a proposal to use significant cuts to Medicare payments for diagnostic imaging to offset the cost of a trade pack.
What's more, many radiologists noted that multiple interpretations of exams carried out on one patient are not less work-intensive than multiple interpretations of separate patients.
ABN deadline
The time to upgrade to a newer version of the ABN is a couple of months away - mandatory use of the new version starts on November 1, 2011.
Why the upgrade: The present ABN form had an expiration date on it, and as a rule forms are updated every three years based on provider comments.
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